Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!brunix!phg
From: phg@cs.brown.edu (Peter H. Golde)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2
Subject: Re: Summary Wanted
Keywords: Summary OS/2
Message-ID: <27916@brunix.UUCP>
Date: 3 Feb 90 06:55:29 GMT
References: <683@h.cs.wvu.wvnet.edu>
Sender: news@brunix.UUCP
Reply-To: phg@cs.brown.edu (Peter H. Golde)
Organization: Brown University Department of Computer Science
Lines: 37

In article <683@h.cs.wvu.wvnet.edu> leonard@h.cs.wvu.wvnet.edu (Jon B Leonard) writes:
>Hello all,
>
>   I am looking for some info that I am sure has been beaten to death on 
>this newsgroup.  What I need is a list of what is needed to run OS/2, not
>what the brochures say, but what is really needed for a good system.  Also,
>what machines are known to run OS/2 and what machines won't, and what is
>available both commercially and through the net as public domain (shareware,
>freeware, etc) in the software area.  Any undocumented features (bugs)?
>Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.
>
>                Jon Leonard
>                leonard@h.cs.wvu.wvnet.edu

I run OS/2 1.2 on a 20MHz (no cache) 386 with 4MB memory
and 64MB disk (45MB HPFS, 20MB FAT).  I am quite happy with
the performance.  If I try to run 6 or 7 processes at once,
swapping gets a bit excessive, but otherwise I am
very happy.  I would say you could get by with a 16MHz machine,
but if you are buying new the 20 MHz machines are almost as
cheap.  I don't know about 16/20 MHz 286 machines, but 
they will probably be almost as good (until 2.0 comes out).

The machine I use is a Northgate machine and I recommend them
wholeheartedly.  Great service, well constructed, no compatibility
problems whatsoever.  You can get a little cheaper from some
of the smaller clone makers, but I have been burned before
(luckily recoverably -- I finally got my money back after
about 2 months) by small companies with big ads.  Their (Northgate)
prices are very competitive and often cheaper than their
ads due to lead time.  By all means give them a call in
any case if you are planning to buy.  Their sales reps
are very knowledgeable as such people go (i.e., they know
what OS/2 is, etc....)  And they ship really quickly too...
you'll probably get your machine in < 2 weeks.

--Peter Golde  (phg@cs.brown.edu)